Matter of give and take

Both parties can benefit from a well-planned internship

Leigh Hornbeck and T.J. Kin, Times Union

By Leigh Hornbeck and T.J. King

Published 4:51 pm, Monday, June 16, 2014

Mike Bohne is the internship program manager at Gramercy Communications. Chelsea McGuigan, right, is Gramercy's newest summer intern on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 in Troy. Bohne started at Gramercy as an intern in 2011 as a new college graduate and was later hired full-time. (Tom Brenner/ Special to the Times Union)

Employers walk a fine line when it comes to interns. Interns can take on work and gain valuable career experience, but it's important for the internship manager to provide a workload that is appropriate for someone who is, in most cases, working for free.

"I really think that employers should prepare for the arrival of the interns before they begin, so they can be sure to give clear goals to the students for what they should be striving to achieve during the summer," said Robert Soules, director of the career center at Union College. "I also think the company should have a mentor of sorts for the interns, so they have someone to go to and receive advice from and seek help if they need it. The company, especially if it is a team-based company, should integrate the interns into the workplace as quickly as possible to begin to move things along."

Mike Bohne, the public relations manager at Gramercy Communications, draws from personal experience as the intern supervisor. He started working at the firm as an intern in 2011 after he graduated from Utica College with a degree in public relations. Gramercy, founded by Tom Nardacci in 2005, and located in Troy, has always had interns on its staff, Bohne said. They are paid between $12 and $16 an hour, depending on their experience, and work three days a week. One or two interns join the staff during the school year and two or three come on board in the summer.

Chelsea McGuigan, 25, a 2013 Utica College graduate, is interning at the firm this summer. She writes media alerts, handles logistics for events and participates in pitch meetings for new clients.

"The technical side you learn in the classroom but in the field you learn about relationship-building by watching the people you're working with," McGuigan said.

Noah Simon, the director of career services at the University at Albany, said the biggest complaint he hears from students about their internship is that the manager assigned them to menial tasks instead of meaningful work.

"The goal of any internship is for a mutually beneficial experience for both the intern and the company," Simon said. "For the intern, it's an opportunity to learn and grow. They are given an opportunity to work on something they are passionate about with an organization that shares this passion."

Bohne said he tries to tailor the workload to fit the interests of the interns at Gramercy, whether it's research or writing or planning. The internships are competitive at the firm, Bohne said. He looks for people who speak specifically about their interests and passions. The people who say they're just looking for a summer job, he turns away. The goal is to train people who will contribute to the public relations field down the line, Bohne said.

"An internship site has to allow an intern to learn, but it also has to allow them to be challenged," Simon said. "It should teach them to do things such as problem-solving, thinking critically and allowing them to expand the skills they brought with them."